Graduate Parent Support was created in the fall of 2009 by the University of Alabama’s Graduate School to help provide support for graduate students who have children. We understand that it can be difficult to be both a student and a parent; therefore we are here to be your advocate and help you be successful in your diverse roles.The goal of the GPS program is to provide an innovative and accessible academic, social, and emotional support system for graduate students who have children.

any student who is raising a child, regardless of degree level or income.

Program Evaluation Available:

Program Evaluation Available Upon request

Program Description:

For over 20 years the Access and Success program at St. Catherine University has provided a comprehensive services to students raising children. The Access and Success program is staffed by licensed social workers. The program is voluntary and works to build on the existing strengths of student parents while supporting areas of challenge.

Staff focus on creating relationships of support with students raising children and linking them with with resources and services they need to be successful. Resources can be either on or off campus and can include affordable housing and childcare, financial assistance or personal counseling. Our staff are skilled in offering support and assistance to address various personal, academic and family issues which can arise. This might include advocacy, referrals in a crisis, as well as assistance with problem solving, parenting and personal support.

Access and Success also offers programs to meet the unique and diverse needs of student parents. Our Steps to Success program offers intensive one-to-one support to traditional-aged students enrolled in the Day Baccalaureate program who face particular challenges. Our Mother to Mother program builds leadership skills through training and speaking events to local pregnant and parenting teens about the value of additional education/training after high school.

Each year Access and Success serves approximately 470 unduplicated students, serving approximately 50% of the overall student population at the University.

To be eligible a student MUST:
1) Be a teen parent (defined as having a child by the age of 19) and be age 25 or younger at the time of application submission.
2) Be raising or actively involved in their child's life (defined by regular support and care of your child).
3) Be attending - or planning to attend - college starting the Fall 2014 semester in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area (Washington, DC, Maryland or Northern Virginia) and seeking an undergraduate two or four-year degree.
4) Have a minimum 2.5 grade point average.
5) Be a US Citizen or legal US Resident.
6) Submit a coper of their Student Aid Report (SAR) or proof of FASFA submission -- Applying for Aid help can be found on our Scholar Program Description webpage!
7) Be planning to take a minimum of 6 credits each semester.

Program Description:

REDUCING POVERTY ONE FAMILY AT A TIME BY PROVIDING DIRECT SPONSORSHIPS AND ONE-ON-ONE MENTORING TO TEEN PARENTS WHO ARE PURSUING COLLEGE DEGREES IN THE WASHINGTON, D.C. METRO AREA.

Founded in 2010, Generation Hope selects teen mothers and teen fathers who have displayed academic achievement and a desire to go to college to become Scholars in the Generation Hope Scholar Program. Teen parents are often dismissed by school officials and others when it comes to their potential to pursue higher education. Generation Hope presents college-readiness workshops in the community throughout the year to identify and recruit promising students to our program. Once accepted, Generation Hope provides each Scholar with two supports that we believe increase the likelihood that they will obtain their college degree; up to $2,400 per year in tuition assistance and one-on-one mentoring. Additionally, Scholars receive an increased network of support from the extended family that the program provides to them and to their young children. This support stays with Scholars until they earn their two or four-year degree.

Generation Hope's Scholars are among the most ambitious and driven college students you will ever meet. They are all parenting while pursuing two and four-year degrees. Incoming Scholars have an average 3.5 GPA, with 70% of Scholars increasing their GPA's after just one semester in Generation Hope's program. Generation Hope's recent 2013 Scholar class consisted of 13 amazing young women, and continues to have amazing Scholar applicants. A link to past, present, and future Scholars' amazing stories can be found right here! http://supportgenerationhope.org/meet-our-scholars

Generation Hope Sponsors directly invest in our Scholars with both their time and financial giving. Their generosity has provided $25,000 in college tuition support to these young parents and have taken an active part in mentoring them in their journey to become college graduates. We are seeing the fruits of this investment -- 70% of Scholars increased their GPA after just one semester in our the Scholar Program. Generation Hope's incredible Sponsors are investing time, energy and resources in ensuring that teen parents have the same chances at a college degree and success as their peers.

Counseling Services and most events are open to the public. Scholarship and emergency funds are available only to University of Michigan students.

Program Description:

Founded 50 years ago, the Center for the Education of Women (CEW) is dedicated to encouraging and enhancing the education and careers of adult women through programs and services, advocacy and research. An integral part of CEW is the client-centered, integrative life counseling offered free of charge to women and men from the University and the broader community, which is supplemented by workshops, speakers and events throughout the academic year. CEW serves as the administrative home of campus wide initiatives serving women faculty and staff of color; CEW also convenes and staffs the University-wide President’s Advisory Commission on Women’s Issues. CEW offers approximately 40 privately funded scholarships each year to nontraditional students who have experienced a break in their education progress. Finally, CEW’s research and advocacy work provides a gendered lens by which to understand economic and social policy in Michigan through the Michigan Partners Project.

Applicants must have a high school diploma, a GED, HSED, or some college credits as long as they have not completed a bachelor's degree; must be self-designated as low-income. SSP primarily serves parents, but applicants without children are considered for admission

Program Description:

The Self-Sufficiency Program (SSP) encourages low-income parents to enroll in post-secondary education by offering a free, semester-length college preparation course. Over 14 weeks, students develop a foundation of critical thinking, writing, reading, and math skills; become familiar with the process of applying for admission and financial aid; and set personal educational and career goals. The class meets one to two evenings per week and free childcare is provided on-site during the class meetings. SSP graduates often continue on to two-year and four-year colleges and can qualify for a local cash scholarship for their first four semesters in school as long as they remain in good academic standing.

SMART is available to make presentations to student parent groups during day, evening, and weekend hours.

Program Evaluation Available:

Program Description:

The Oklahoma Single Mothers Academic Resources Team (SMART) identifies pathways for single parent students to enroll in and complete higher education programs. SMART is collaboratively funded by the Women's Foundation of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. SMART partners with colleges, universities, agencies, and non-profit foundations to educate single mothers on how to succeed in college. SMART aims to teach student parents about academic resources, family support needs, and financial aid through no-cost presentations, a SMART magazine, and the SMART website.

Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton and Oshkosh, Wisconsin, offers one-on-one counseling and group Starting Point workshops. Staff counselors provide career, personal, academic, crisis, alcohol and drug abuse, and financial counseling plus internal and external referrals to help students begin college and for retention purposes. Services are offered to help female and male displaced homemakers and single parent students become oriented to college life and expectations. Starting Point workshops include topics such as: assertiveness, goal setting, stress management, and writing successful scholarship applications, among others.

Typical participants are single mothers; divorced, separated, or displaced homeworkers; widowed; undecided about a career; survivor of domestic violence; in recovery; experiencing anxiety about returning to school; or in college for the first time

Program Description:

Project Independence at Portland Community College in Oregon is a free credit-bearing course to prepare women for college life. Designed for single mothers and other non-traditional adult students, it addresses a range of topics including: Career & Life Planning; Values Clarification; Introduction to Assertiveness; College Survival & Success; and Overcoming Math Anxiety. The intent is to explore career and life options and gain self-confidence with a cohort of women in an educational setting. Project Independence also provides on-going personal and academic support, limited childcare scholarships, limited help with transportation, and a comfortable place to learn in college.

The LAVC Family Resource Center serves students, families, and the community, from pre-natal through adulthood. The FRC faculty and staff have been trained by the Brazelton Touchpoints Center at Harvard University and have integrated their strength-based approach as a foundation for working with families.

Infant and Toddler Play Groups are the core of a myriad of family support services, reflecting a two-generation approach. FRC faculty and staff have been trained by the Brazelton Touchpoints Center at Harvard University and have integrated their strength-based approach as a foundation for working with families. Playgroups are led by a Child Development instructor whose goal is to promote the relationship between the parent and child and to create a system of support for the parents.

Staff utilizes a case management approach and connects families to targeted college, as well as local community services. The FRC serves as a college instructional lab for nursing and child development students, which includes high schools students who learn about the importance and methods of supporting the entire family when working with young children.

The Undergraduate and Graduate Parent Support programs at the University of Alabama provide an innovative and accessible academic, social, and emotional support system for student parents. GPS and UPS help to create new programs and assistance for participants, as well as implement multiple family-friendly campus events to help student parents access campus and community resources, develop social networks of support, and have a presence on campus. For example, they hold a Family Resource Fair every year in partnership with at least 15 partner organizations, including the public library, a local family resource center, and the campus outdoor recreation department. They maintain a website with links to a range of services and partner agencies and hold an interactive summer camp expo each spring. In addition to resource links, the website hosts forums that provide a centralized platform for students to communicate about various topics related to balancing academics and family. Partnerships with a local child care center and two housing complexes secured discounts for student parents using those services. GPS and UPS created and implement a highly successful “Sitters for Service” program that provides student parents with 30 hours of free babysitting each semester.

The University of California at San Diego Undergrad Student Parents and Grad Parents Networks work with the UCSD Health, Recreation, and Well-being office to advocate for and help design resources to support student parents. These services include child-friendly study rooms in campus libraries, access to recreation and swimming facilities for families, pregnancy and lactation resources, and a student parent email list. The Student Parents Network also provides resources for housing, finances, child care, family counseling, part-time and leave options, and transportation. The group sought and won a policy that allows student parents to apply for priority enrollment for classes, so they can balance their school and family schedules more easily. Student parents find out about the network through outreach at orientations to campus, the campus women's center, and flyers around campus. In addition, the founder of the group created a webpage describing available resources for student parents. UCSD's office of Health, Recreation, and Well-being supports the part-time employment of an intern to staff the network.

All students at the five campuses of Central New Mexico Community College have access to CNM Connect – coordinated services and supports to promote student success. CNM Connect started in 2006 as a pilot focused on high need students, based on the Center for Working Families model developed with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Center for Working Families approach seeks to provide at-risk families a central location to receive key economic support services, with the goal of increasing earnings and income, reducing financial transactions costs and building individual and community wealth. Now available to all students, the CNM Connect program is designed to promote student connections to the college and access to academic supports, financial aid and asset building, and linkages to needed services. Support for academic achievement includes help with academic planning, study skills, and time management while balancing work and family with school. CNM also offers Assistance Centers for Education that hold small-group learning support services. Student parents make up 55 percent of the students who access CNM Connect services. The student team success leaders and achievement coaches that staff each Connect center are trained to address the concerns of student parents. A 2012 report sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation identified CNM Connect as a highly successful model. For example, the retention rate for students who accessed services during the 2010–2011 school year through CNM Connect was 85 percent, compared to 71 percent for all first-time students.

Academically qualified single men and women, ages 18 to 24 at the time of their enrollment, who are the parents of one child

Program Description:

At Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts, new student parents must go to the campus academic support center starting their first semester. Students engage in appropriate tutoring until they are able to maintain a 3.0 average. The tutoring is tailored to the needs of the student, including study skills, review of specific course work, and making up for class-time lost if the parent had to miss a class due to their parental responsibilities or other issues. They also coach students to communicate with faculty about their status as a parent and explain any challenges they are having related to being a parent. Student parents may also enroll in additional courses during a January break or during the summer to spread out their course requirements over the year. Endicott can provide housing for students year-round as well. Endicott Keys to Degrees staff receive regular updates on academic performance in order to flag issues and offer students support as early as possible. Endicott additionally assists students parents in finding child care and other services

Participants must be mothers, new students (first or second semester in college), have demonstrated financial need, attend school on Tuesdays/Thursdays (at least 6 credits), and be available to attend workshops.

Program Description:

The Single Mothers Achieving Real Triumph (SMART) program at Lakeland Community College in Ohio uses a peer cohort model to help student parents negotiate academic life and connect to campus resources they might not otherwise find. As a group, participants take an English class and Skills for College Success, equaling six credits. The skills course covers such topics as how to interact with college professors and administrators, study skills, and the importance of note-taking and class-participation. Students also receive financial support in the form of a gas or Walmart gift card.

The Baby Bears @ Berkeley program at the University of California is designed specifically to provide academic flexibility so that pregnant and parenting students can continue to progress toward degree completion. Students receive help with reduced courseload planning and strategies and requesting academic accommodations. Specific campus policies exist regarding delayed admission, stopping out, withdrawal and readmission for students with parenting responsibilities. Baby Bears also provides students with the resources necessary to find access to financial aid, child care, housing, and other services. Baby Bears is part of a larger comprehensive effort to serve student parents.

Rio Salado College in Tempe, Arizona, is a leader in adapting online technologies for postsecondary education. Currently more than 100 associate degree, certificate and transfer programs are available through Rio Salado. Rio Salado does not have a student parent program per se, but allows students great flexibility to schedule their education to fit their life circumstances rather than follow a traditional academic calendar. Students can start their coursework at one of more than 40 start dates a year, and allows students to control the length of their courses with the option of eight-, twelve- or sixteen-week courses. Rio Salado also makes technical, instructional and other support services available to registered students online and available 24 hours a day.

The Oklahoma City Community College Child Development Center and Lab School provides care for children 6 weeks to kindergarten age within the Family and Community Education Center facility. The center serves students, faculty, and members of the community with a traditional full day program that receives the top state rating for child care quality and is nationally accredited through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The program also offers student scheduled drop-in care for children whose parent/guardians in class by reservation at the rate of $10 per child per 3-hour session. The reservations are made for a complete semester, scheduled to match the student-parent’s course schedule.

Eligible families include low- to moderate-income families with children from ages three months to twelve years. At least one parent must be a CSUN student enrolled in a minimum of six academic units going towards a degree objective. Proof of student status, income and need will be required.

Program Evaluation Available:

Program Description:

The Family Child Care Network at California State University, Northridge, is a program of the Associated Students Children's Center. The Network Coordinator links parents to participating independently owned and operated licensed family child care homes in the community. The Network Coordinator screens the homes and works with providers to support the quality of care children receive. Eligible student parents receive state or federal aid in paying for care.

Arizona State University (ASU) provides child care resource and referral services as one of many family supports available through a Family Resource program on campus. Resource and referral services include support and information about on and off campus child care options.

Students at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon have access to no-cost assistance finding child care through a child care resource and referral center located on campus. Family Connections of Lane and Douglas Counties is one of 13 community-based referral centers that are part of a statewide network supported in part by the state Child Care Division within the Department of Employment. Staff are specially trained to assist parents in finding the right child care for them.

The Madison Area Technical College Child and Family Center uses funding from a federal Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) grant (http://www2.ed.gov/programs/campisp/index.html), the student activity board, and the Madison College Foundation to provide some several scholarships available to qualified students.

The Life Impact Program at the University of WI - Milwaukee assists disadvantaged parents in their efforts to attain a higher education. The program provides participants with a $5,000 renewable scholarship as well as academic, professional and personal support. Program scholars work with a Life Coach team who serves as a first point of contact for all concerns and provides resources and referrals to campus and community programs. Life Impact Scholars have access to student parent workshops, family friendly events, support groups, post-graduation support and emergency funds. To date, program efforts have resulted in 84.2% graduation and retention rate for the 142 UWM student parents that have been served. Of the program graduates, 100% have reported employment and/or are seeking advanced degrees within 6-9 months of graduation. The Life Impact Program was established in 2005 through a generous donation from the Jane Bradley Pettit Foundation. Along with their continued support, funding from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation has allowed Life Impact to expand and extend their program services.

Low-income women, age 35 and older, pursuing technical or vocational education, an associate's degree, or a first bachelor's degree; most recipients are the head of their household and almost half are the first in their family to attend college; must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the United States

Program Evaluation Available:

Program Description:

The Jeannette Rankin Women's Scholarship Fund awarded funding to 85 women in 2012. Scholarships are available to low-income women age 35 and older who are pursuing a technical or vocational education, an associate's degree, or a first bachelor's degree. Most scholarship recipients (81 percent) are the heads of their households, and 49 percent are the first in the family to attend college.

Target group is male and female students that are parenting and/or expecting a child, and are between the ages of 18-35 years old. Student parents that are near the target age and are parenting young children will be accepted. As part of our outreach effort, we also accept young parents in the community that are thinking of returning to school.

Program Evaluation Available:

Program Description:

The Young Student Parent Program at the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Minnesota offers a range of concrete and social supports to student parents between the ages of 18-25. The community college partners with the Carlton County public health nurses and the Fond du Lac Reservation public health nurses. Student parents who join the program can receive academic advising, access to special workshops and presentations, free tutoring services, nutrition education, financial counseling, parenting and parent/child classes, free health screenings and immunizations, connections and referrals to on-campus and off-campus services and activities. The program activities, one-on-one sessions with the coordinator, public health nurse home visits, tutoring sessions, and involvement in student activities earn students points for rewards such as gas cards, grocery cards, bookstore gift certificates, and Wal-Mart gift cards.

Norwalk Community College in Connecticut operates the Family Economic $ecurity Program (FE$P) in partnership with community foundations. FE$P started its work with a pilot, serving small cohorts of students with children to help them meet their personal, career, financial and academic goals through direct financial support and intensive individualized coaching. Based on the research from the pilot, the college now intends to institutionalize the best practices to serve all students with children. Students will continue to receive specialized scholarships, free financial education, achievement coaching and family friendly activities. An online resource – Cash Course – is available to help with budgeting and planning.

CareerAdvance® uses a cohort model to support parents of children enrolled in Early Head Start/Head Start as they work to earn a progression of certificates and degrees that are in demand in the local health care field. Developed by Community Action Project (CAP) Tulsa, and expanded using a $10 million federal Health Professional Opportunities Grant (HPOG), the CareerAdvance® package includes several supportive components, including Career Coaches, performance incentives, direct links to employers, and family support workers. Career Coaches facilitate weekly peer group meetings with each cohort of student parents, and provide individualized academic and career counseling. CAP has formed partnerships with Tulsa Community College, the Tulsa Technology Center, the Union Public Schools district, and the Tulsa Workforce Investment Board as well as other community resources to implement CareerAdvance®.

Must be a full-time student, a California resident for at least one year and one day, qualify to receive a Board of Governors Fee Waiver, be educationally disadvantaged, complete the EOPS and FAFSA applications, meet income criteria, have not completed more than 40 college units, and provide assessment information

Program Evaluation Available:

Program Description:

At the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California several programs are designed to help students facing educational and socioeconomic challenges – including balancing school and parenting - succeed as students. The stated goal of the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) initiative is to support disadvantaged students not only to succeed in community college but also to continue on to four-year universities. In addition to regular visits with program counselors, EOPS students participate in workshops together addressing personal development issues.

Student Parent Help Center at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities offers a range of supports and services to parents, including voluntary weekly Parents as Students Support (PASS) group lunch meetings designed to foster peer-to-peer connections. Using input from students, HELP center staff developed a mix of support group content – some structured presentations on requested topics and some intended to facilitate conversation among students. The foundation of the SPHC model is a thorough, hour-long intake process designed to both screen each student entering the program for state-sponsored child care grant eligibility and identify any academic, family or emotional needs the student might be presenting at program entry. The SPHC also utilizes their successful college enrolled student parents to conduct teen parent college encouragement activities in the greater community, providing real world success models for single teen parents and career presentation skills to SPHC involved students. The center offers comfortable space for conversations and a licensed social worker facilitates conversation.

Varies depending on specific programs within the Transfer, Re-Entry, and Student Parent Center

Program Evaluation Available:

Program Description:

The Transfer, Re-Entry, and Student Parent Center at the University of California – Berkeley promotes social connectedness of students in multiple ways. One strategy is that the University offers a trilogy of credit-bearing courses for student parents to become oriented to college life, create a collaborative learning environment, build leadership skills, foster connections, involve children, and manage the transition into work. There also is a mentoring program that matches current University students with community college student parents to encourage them in their education and link them to resources they need to transition to the University.

Single Stop USA is a non-profit organization that is helping low-income people across the country gain access to multiple economic supports in partnership with trusted local agencies, such as community colleges. Single Stop provides access to screening for a range of government resources and legal, financial and tax preparation expertise. In 2012, Single Stop USA helped almost 32,000 community college students access benefits and services – including SNAP, WIC, TANF, SSI/DI, health insurance, and child care assistance - worth more than $60 million dollars. The Single Stop model places a full time Site Coordinator on-campus with access to an online benefits network. Single Stop is currently working with community colleges in eight states (CA, FL, LA, MA, MS, MD, NY, and PA) and several multi-site community college systems - the City University of New York, Miami Dade College and the City College of San Francisco.

Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is working to integrate better understanding of low-income student needs and capacity to refer students to necessary on and off-campus resources throughout the college. Northampton in one of seven community colleges participating in the Benefits Access for College Completion (BACC) initiative managed by the Center for Law and Social Policy and the American Association of Community Colleges. The goal of BACC is to help develop and integrate sustainable policies and practices that connect low-income students to an array of public benefits and community resources, such as food assistance, health care, and scholarship opportunities.

The Bridge to Hope program at the University of Hawaii is a partnership between the university and the State Department of Human Services offering on-campus employment and student support for First-to-Work public assistance participants enrolled full-time at any of the 10 University of Hawaii campuses (both CC and BA). There is no time limit for using post-secondary education activities to meet “non-core” requirements (up to 60 month TANF limit), and the State of Hawaii supports utilizing the post-secondary education option within JST (Job Skills Training). In addition to the VET (Vocational Education & Training) and JST options offered by TANF, Bridge to Hope offers a “third path” for those students unable to successfully transition to the required 20 hours of paid employment (or volunteer hours) for JST. This “third path” is a vestige of pre-2006 DRA rules changes and reduces the required “work activity” to a total of 20 hours a week of postsecondary education and on-campus work. Student parents may keep all of their on-campus wages rather than deduct them from their First-to-Work benefit. The initiative started in 2000 through a partnership between the university and the state Department of Human Services. The average student parent is a 34-year old single mother with three children. A survey of former Bridge to Hope participants found they earned a median hourly wage of $20.70.

The Ready to Work program is a long-established initiative to help mothers move their families out of welfare permanently through postsecondary education. Started in 1999 through a partnership between the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Community Based Services, Ready to Work offers work-study opportunities, support services, and academic and employment counseling. A key component of Ready-to-Work are on campus coordinators financed through federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds, who help students to access financial aid, transportation and child care as well as develop and support their TANF funded work study placements.

Applicants must be 18 years of age or older and be currently enrolled in an educational or vocational program. (Dallas – Applicants must not be in default on a student loan and have full custody of all children who will be entering the program. Lufkin- Program applicants must be 18 years of age or older and have completed the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA). Students currently enrolled in college or a training program with a minimum 2.0 GPA are also eligible for admission. Applicants must not be in default on a student loan and have full custody of all children who will be entering the program.)

Program Evaluation Available:

Program Description:

Buckner Family Place is a residential student parent support model developed through a partnership of Angelina College, a non-profit agency called Buckner Children and Family Services, and the Women’s Shelter of East Texas. Private funds helped build 40 apartments in a complex on college land with an on-site child development center and multiple support services available, including counseling, case management, and parent education and supports. There are seven different locations throughout Texas. The protected environment is helpful for the majority of mothers who have experienced domestic violence. Follow up data show that 60 percent of participants leave with a certificate or Associate’s degree.

Single-Parent Students must be single; have a child, children, or be pregnant, meet low-income housing requirements; have a high school diploma or GED; amd have the desire to pursue a college degree

Program Evaluation Available:

Program Description:

Family Scholar House, Inc. in Louisville, Kentucky is a non-profit organization whose mission is to end the cycle of poverty by giving single-parent students the support they need to earn a college degree. Family Scholar House provides a comprehensive continuum of services that target any barrier their parent scholars must overcome to obtain college degrees, achieve career-track employment, and attain and maintain self-sufficiency, including supportive housing, academic advising, and family support services. Currently, Family Scholar House had four campuses in Louisville. Family Scholar House developed public-private partnerships, creative collaborations and strong community buy-in to finance the array of services they provide, including housing. For example, federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, project-based Section 8 from the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, and support from private and public donors, including a grant from Louisville Metro’s Office of Community Services and Revitalization, all contribute to the overall budget of Family Scholar House.

The Women with Children program at Wilson College in Pennsylvania offers on – campus housing to single mothers with children (20 months and older) enrolled full-time in this four year college. There is a dedicated building for student families with common area playrooms, computer rooms, kitchens, and laundry facilities. Students may stay in residence through all academic year break periods without additional charges and may stay for the summers for an additional charge. The Wilson College Child Care Center offers services for children 20 months to 5 years old, and participants in the Women with Children program have priority placement. The college covers the cost of child care.

Texas State Technical College - Waco Campus operates Brazos Community, a housing area of duplexes and homes that is available to full-time students who are married or single with dependent children. The housing is sizable-- duplexes are available in 2 or 3 bedrooms options and homes have 3 or 4 bedrooms. Students pay rent, but at below market rates.

The Children’s Center at Montgomery County Community College serves 72 children ages two through five. It is NAEYC accredited and top rated by Pennsylvania’s Keystone Stars quality rating system. They participate in Pennsylvania's PreK Counts program, which subsidizes costs for eligible families, and offer a preschool and toddler summer camp.

Chadron State College's Child Development Center Laboratory serves 47 children ages two through nine. They are NAEYC accredited and serve as an experiential learning site for students from their Family and Consumer Sciences, Education, and Special Education programs.

Rockefeller is a world-renowned center for research and graduate education in bio-medical sciences, chemistry, bioinformatics, and physics. Their Family and Child Center serves 115 children, infants through age five, in 10 classrooms. Their families come from all over the world to study and work at Rockefeller. As many as 26 different languages are represented. Their teaching staff is also multinational and many of the teachers are bilingual.

The PPCC Child Development Centers are located on two separate campuses. They offer comprehensive educational child care services for children ages six weeks to five years. Each has a Parent Resource Room where community resources and parenting materials are available to all students. They are both licensed by the Colorado Department of Human Services and accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Southwest Tennessee provides two centers, each of which has received the highest rating (three stars) from the Tennessee Department of Human Services. The Campus Child Care Centers are designed to provide multicultural experience in an open concept setting with an emphasis on both social and academic development.

Indiana University-Bloomington Early Childhood Education Services provides five childcare programs: three accredited centers, and two parent cooperatives. Together they provide year round,high-quality care and education to more than 250 children of students, faculty, and staff.

Purdue’s three centers are overseen by three different entities. One is an NAEYC accredited lab school operated by the Department of Human Development & Family Studies; the second is operated by the Purdue Village Parent Cooperative and Housing & Food Services Administration; and the last is managed by an outside for-profit child care corporation.

Merced is a California Public Community College.Their NAEYC accredited Child Development Center collaborates with the Merced County Office of Education, Special Education Department. Center staff and public school special education staff work together to provide full inclusion services for children with severe disabilities, approximately 15 percent of the children served. The center also has a Family Service Education Program that provides dental screenings, hearing screenings, vision screenings, and speech and language services.

Children of students, Montclair State employees, and community members

Program Evaluation Available:

Program Description:

The Children’s Center at Montclair State University has brought together under one roof three formerly independent programs—a child care center, an early intervention program, and a program for children with severe communication disorders, including autism. Today their inclusive classrooms serve children with special needs and typically developing children side by side.Their early intervention component provides services to families at home and in the infant/toddler classrooms through a team that includes speech and language pathologists, Inclusion/Special Needs special educators, child development specialists, a nurse, and occupational and physical therapists. From infancy through five years, children with special needs participate in every classroom where, in addition to the teaching staff, an expert team of certified and/or licensed personnel supports their development.

The University of Maryland provides free resources and consultation to students, faculty, and staff who have child and elder care needs. Child care services address choosing quality child care, locating licensed centers and preschools both on and off campus,selecting a summer camp, and more. Seminars and resources are provided and one-on-one consultations are available by phone, in-person,or by e-mail.

Unfortunately, though allowed by federal guidelines, not all states consider participation in higher education to be an eligibility criterion for low-income families to receive child care subsidies. Redding and Cohen (2009) provide a partial break down of states that allowed some form of higher education eligibility in 2009: http://www.cga.ct.gov/2009/rpt/2009-R-0096.htm. To find out more about eligibility, how to contract, or how to apply for assistance, both programs and parents can contact their state early childhood education agency.

Numerous campus child care programs access funding that originates in the Child Care and Development Fund, the largest Federal program specifically devoted to child care services and quality. CCDF enables low-income parents, including those receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), to work or to participate in work-related education and training programs. Funds also serve children in protective services, and a portion of CCDF funds must be used by each state to enhance child care quality and availability. CCDF makes child care services available through grants and contracts with providers and through certificates, or vouchers, issued directly to eligible families. Since CCDF funds are authorized under the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act and dispersed through the CCDBG, funds from the CCDF may also be referred to as CCDBG funds.

Designed for displaced homemakers, single parents, dislocated workers, single pregnant women, and people interested in a career that is not traditional for their gender

Program Evaluation Available:

Program Description:

Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is working to integrate better understanding of low-income student needs and capacity to refer students to necessary on and off-campus resources throughout the college. Experienced Northampton staff members run New Choices, which supports student parents and other non-traditional students. New Choices includes an intensive class for career exploration, communication skills, educational and training options, job search training, stress management, refreshing math skills, and a computer overview. New Choices staff have cultivated strong connections to community and state administrators of child care subsidies, transportation assistance, and other services.

Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) students who are single parents receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

Program Evaluation Available:

Program Evaluation Available Upon request

Program Description:

At the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California several programs are designed to help students facing educational and socioeconomic challenges – including balancing school and parenting - succeed as students. Students who are single parents and receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) are enrolled in the Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE) support program. The CARE program offers special advising and mentoring, peer support, resource information, advocacy, and other collaborative services.

The Student Parent Program aims to reach out to newly admitted student parents to answer questions and assist them as they transition to college life. Program staff and interns are available through email, phone, and drop-in hours to provide assistance and resources for student parents. The Student Parent Program also has summer workshops and break-out sessions for students with families.

University of California- Berkeley offers a series of courses aimed to help student parents transition and navigate college life. Once Upon A University: The student parent experience at Cal is the first course in the sequence and aims to help students have a successful first semester. This course helps students with children learn how to balance school and parenting and access resources and opportunities on-campus and in the surrounding community. The second course, It Takes A Village: Creating student parent learning communities, provides opportunities for student parents to build a community and share successful strategies for balancing work, family, and college responsibilities. The final class in the sequence, Beyond The Village, addresses career and graduate school preparation and planning while considering the needs of families. The Career Center helps facilitate this course and teaches students about resumes, job searches, internships, personal statements, and graduate school applications.

What to Expect When You're Expecting... at Cal is a collaborative effort to support expecting and new parents. The program helps students complete course credits and communicate effectively with faculty and staff about student needs. The Student Parent Program staff and interns also help new parents reenter school and reapply for financial aid after any leave of absence.

The CalWORKs = CalGRADs Projectaims to ensure that student parents reliant on California’s Welfare to Work Program can document their eligibility requirements and complete a post-secondary education program. The Project helps students in low-income families access child care, Med-Cal, food assistance, and other social services as they complete college and work their way out of poverty. The CalWORKS = CalGRADS Project works with community college counselors who encourage student parents at community colleges to apply to Berkeley.

The Student Parent Association for Recruitment and Retention is an official student organization with funding from the student government to be a voice for student parents on campus. SPARR aims to promote awareness of student parent needs and concerns. SPARR also connects student parents and allows them to share advice, offer assistance, organize events, and celebrate milestones.

The Bear Pantry, located in University Village Family Housing, receives donations of nonperishable foods and grocery store gift certificates in case of an emergency for low-income families. The Student Parent Program also welcomes fresh food donations from local grocery stores and vendors. Local clothing stores also donate clothing for babies, children, and toddlers.

The UWM Lactation Program provides nursing mothers with the opportunities to meet their breastfeeding goals with educational and environmental support. The program is specifically designed to help mothers be able to pump and store breast milk to take home to their infants at the end of the workday. Mothers are provided with clean, private rooms at different locations across campus.

Lane Child and Family Center is an NAEYC accredited child care program, serving children from 24 months to five years. The curriculum aims to target cognitive, social-emotional, physical, and creative development with an emphasis on play and appreciating diverse needs.

The ASU Breastfeeding Support Committee aims to help nursing mothers reach their breastfeeding goals. Whether women choose to pump while on campus or are able to have their child with them, the Breastfeeding Support Committee provides private and comfortable spaces for nursing mothers to use.

ASU's on-campus child care programs aim to provide children with opportunities for social and educational development. The programs have low teacher/child ratios, small group sizes, and highly-qualified staff. There are four different centers on campus and each is nationally accredited.

The Associated Students Children's Center is a high-quality and nationally accredited early childhood program. The Children's Center values social, physical, emotional, and intellectual development for all children. The Associated Students organization serves as an advocacy group for students on campus and in the student government. The Children's Center is one of the Associated Students programs on campus.

Campus Kids provides on-campus child care for children of students enrolled at Lakeland. The program serves children age three to ten with both part-time and full-time options available. Campus kids is licensed by the State of Ohio and accredited by the NAEYC.

Lakeland's Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) is a day school for preschool aged children from 18 months through five years. The TLC is licensed and accredited by the NAEYC. The program is all day, year round with separate sections for toddler and preschool children. TLC has highly-qualified teachers and strong security features at the facility. The curriculum focuses on learning through new experiences, play, and individualized development. The Teaching and Learning Center also serves as a laboratory for students at Lakeland pursuing careers in early childhood education.

University of Northern Florida Child Development Research Center (CDRC) provides child care and preschool services to children aged 2.5 through ten with developmentally appropriate instruction for all children. CDRC is a accredited by NAEYC and provides services year-round. The Center serves the University's academic community as faculty can conduct research in the CDRC.

Must be a faculty member, staff member, or graduate student; must have child enrolled in a Purdue child care center; must meet income requirements;

Program Evaluation Available:

Program Description:

The Patty Jischke “Kids are the Future” Endowment was created to make child care more affordable for low income families. Faculty, staff, and graduate students are eligible and they must have a child enrolled in one of the three on-campus child care centers at Purdue. The scholarship can cover anywhere from ten to fifty percent of the child care costs for one year.

Purdue University strives to provide family-friendly health care options for students, faculty, and staff at the college. Student parents choose to enroll in one of the university-sponsored health plans depending on the needs of their families. All health plans help cover prenatal expenses, lactation consultations, information on caring for infants, and well-child care.

The Keystone Education Yields Success (KEYS) Program is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. KEYS aims to provide financial and academic assistance to students receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

Wilson College's National Center for Single Mothers in Higher Education Clearinghouse provides information for single mothers. The Center seeks to promote college success for single parent women by providing resources on scholarships and financial aid, public policies, organizations for women, opportunities for personal, career, and academic growth, and other supports.

Wilson College provides a Child Care Center on-campus for children of students, faculty, staff, and the Chambersburg community. The Center serves roughly 45 children aged 20 months through five years. The Center is open year-round and aims to provide a developmentally-appropriate curriculum that exceed state minimum licensing standards.

Children of CMN students ages three to five; student parents must be enrolled at least half time (six credit hours or more) or attending at least eight hours of Adult Basic Education classes a week. Applicants must meet income eligibility requirements.

Program Evaluation Available:

Program Description:

Tres Manos Child Development Center provides quality child care services to a limited number of Central New Mexico student families. The Center is located close to campus and provides care at a low cost to children ages three to five. Weekly fees depend on family income, and there is a low student-teacher ratio.

University of California- San Diego offers two child-friendly study areas on campus. These spaces have children's books and activities so children can play while student parents supervise them and study. Children can never be left unattended and parents are fully responsible for supervising their child.

The University of California- San Diego provides resources for pregnant mothers and new parents. The hundreds of parents on UCSD's campus compose a strong community of support (with a student-parent email list) for pregnant women and new parents. UCSD also provides support for students who decide to take a leave of absence from course work during pregnancy or after childbirth and try to make accommodations for students who continue to remain enrolled full time. Pregnant and new student parents can access counselling services and family housing on campus. Resources for pregnant women and new mothers also include information on financial services, student aid, and health care.

The Women's Center at the University of California- San Diego provides lactation resources for nursing mothers. Student parents who are breastfeeding can register to use lactation rooms to pump or breastfeed while on campus. Student-parents can also register for their spouse to access the lactation rooms. Lactation rooms are private and safe spaces located across the campus.

Student parents at the University of California- San Diego can currently register for classes before other students. This is a pilot program intended to increase the sense of community among student parents and provide them with opportunities to create schedules that accommodate parenting responsibilities, work, and courses. As of July 2014, the program is under review to transition into a permanent program.

Student parents with dependent children under 18 years of age (waitlists may apply)

Program Evaluation Available:

Program Description:

Associated Residential Campus Housing (ARCH) offers priority housing to student parents at the Mesa Residential Apartments. Students must have children under 18 years of age or be expecting a child. The housing program includes events for families and networks of student parents. Mesa Family Housing also includes a family-friendly study room and is the location of the Early Childhood Education Center. Student parent rent in the ARCH program is lower than housing options in the surrounding areas.

University of California- San Diego provides an array of resources for student parents and their families to access recreation facilities. Children can use the UCSD recreation facilities or sign-up for recreation classes. There is also a family swim program with both indoor and outdoor pools that focuses on the health of the whole family.

Children of students, faculty, and staff; children can be three months to six years

Program Evaluation Available:

Program Description:

The UCSD Early Childhood Education Center provides full-time child care for children of students, faculty, and staff on campus. Part-time child care is offered at the UCSD Mesa Child Development Center. Student parents also have access to information on off-campus child care centers, babysitters, and child care subsidies.

Children can ride on all UCSD shuttles except the Scripps Institution for Oceanography (SIO) shuttle. Student parents with a UCSD bus sticker can have their children under five years of age ride for free on the public transportation system in San Diego.

University of Alabama's Sitters for Service Program uses undergraduate students to provide free babysitting for student parents during the semester. Undergraduate students volunteer to babysit for free in exchange for community service hours. Undergraduate babysitters must apply and interview. If selected, babysitters are trained in infant and child CPR. Babysitters agree to supply 20, 30, or 40 hours of babysitting across the course of the semester. Each student parent can use up to 30 hours of free babysitting during the semester.

Student parents at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse and other institutions of higher education in the region

Program Evaluation Available:

Program Description:

Connected with the Self-Sufficiency Program also at University of Wisconsin- La Crosse, the Student Parent Community connects student parents at all levels of post-secondary education. The Student Parent Community gives student parents the opportunity to network, share challenges, inspire each other, join each other at events, and offer each other other support.

Children of students, faculty, staff, or community members; ages of children served varies by center

Program Evaluation Available:

Program Description:

SUNY Child Care Centers provide quality care for more than 5,000 children at 53 centers across the state, at 20 four-year institutions and 33 community colleges. Sixty-two percent of the centers are NAEYC accredited. SUNY also offers child care referral services. Approximately, one-third of children served are the children of student parents.

CUNY provides a center on each of its seven community, 10 four-year, and two graduate campuses. Although age ranges vary, together these centers serve approximately 2,400 children. Many of these centers are accredited by NAEYC.

The UW Madison Family Child Care Network contracts with Satellite Family Child Care, Inc., a community based network that provides accreditation, oversight, and services to family child care homes. The program provides care for infants and toddlers of students, faculty,and staff. They oversee the four homes that are part of the UW network.

Any UCLA undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students who are parents, guardians, and/or caregivers.

Program Description:

The Bruin Resource Center's Students with Dependents (SwD) Program provides caring and personalized support to UCLA students who are parents, guardians, and caregivers at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional school level. The SwD Program is committed to helping students succeed, both as parents and scholars, by offering programs and advocacy that enrich and support parenting student's academic, personal, and professional goals.

The SwD Program provides parenting students with...

A specialized resource called the Students with Dependents Guide to UCLA, which outlines detailed information on services located on campus and within the community that supports parenting students.

Information, referrals, and support services that assist with navigating the UCLA system.

Assistance with accessing and applying for social service programs like CalFresh (food stamps), CalWORKS/GAIN (cash aid), and MediCal (healthcare).

Advocacy and support through other UCLA Departments such as Financial Aid, Housing, Early Childhood Education, Student Affairs, and with professors and UCLA employers.

Quarterly workshops to help strengthen skills and promote success as both parents and scholars.

Social events to help foster support and a sense of community and inclusion on the UCLA campus.

A dedicated space at the Bruin Resource Center for studying, relaxing, and meeting other students with shared experiences.

Bimonthly emails sent throughout the quarter filled with information on jobs, scholarship, and events pertinent to student parents.

A vibrant and vocal online community of students sharing experiences, advice, and support.

Policy work at the university and governmental level to make UCLA more inclusive of student parents.

Programming is geared toward doctoral moms in dissertation programs but many of our workshops and programs are useful to all students. ALL STUDENTS ARE WELCOME! A graduate student organization for students that are moms completing a doctoral degree or supportive of this goal. The primary aim is to provide support on the doctoral journey leading to the successful completion of a doctoral dissertation and graduation!

ACADEMIC:

We aim to offer support on 1) proposal/dissertation development in the form of work groups, and 2) networking and family-friendly social activities.

Additional support opportunities in the form or professional contacts, expert panel, and other professional exposure to women that have "been there and done that" as well as job-market/job discussions and funding opportunities.

FAMILY/SOCIAL:

Social-personal dimension of connecting moms to child-friendly events and opportunities. Holiday potlucks and social support on FB groups and weekend activities!

OUTREACH and AWARENESS:

Education the student body and reaching out to increase awareness of student-parents! We have partnered with academic affairs, student affairs, and student government!

This program description will report to the reader a better understanding of an effective university program that improves the graduation rates of single parent women who have custody of their children while attending college full-time. The ACCESS Collaborative Program at The Ohio State University since 1989 has served well over 350 women who are traditional students in every sense: they attend college the fall directly after high school; they attend full time, they are enrolled in a degree seeking program with one exception: they have a child. The ACCESS Collaborative Program is an institutional academic, advocacy and social support program. The major purpose is to increase retention and graduation rates of single parent students at The Ohio State University by minimizing the barriers that may prevent full participation by these students which are childcare, housing, resources for books, and vital items for their children’s safety and development. This Program is a replicable model. Details of the history, design, research agenda, associated national organization and annual symposium are available on the web at http://odi.osu.edu/centers/access-collaborative/access-home.html